Super Bowl 49: Seattle Seahawks Top 5 MVP Candidates

Jan 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks downfield to throw during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

2. QB Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson clearly didn’t play his best game against Green Bay, but it won’t get any easier for him against an elite Patriots defense that completely shut down the Indianapolis Colts high-powered passing attack. Star free safety Devin McCourty took T.Y. Hilton‘s playmaking out of the equation for a second time, and the Colts other wide receivers couldn’t get anything going against the highly impressive Darrelle Revis.

That’s the situation Wilson finds himself in against the Super Bowl, and he’ll have to do it with receivers who, aside from Doug Baldwin, struggled to get open on a consistent basis until the critical moments at the end of the game. But if the Seahawks prevail against the Patriots, then Wilson would likely be a big reason for that, since he has some of the best brains and legs at the position in the league; perfect for getting past a tough challenge like this one.

Of course, if anyone can step up to the plate in this game, then it’s Wilson, whose running ability will put ace linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins to the test. It would also be foolish to count on Wilson throwing four picks again- or even two- since he had just seven picks in 452 attempts during the regular season. Wilson is one of the smartest quarterbacks in the NFL, and that’s what made last week’s performance so uncharacteristic for him; he almost never makes those mistakes.

Next: No surprises here, right?